Data Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Indicators of Mental Health Problems Reported by Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011-2012. The report used data for the general population from 2009-2012 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. (Graph: Wendy Sawyer, 2017)

This graph originally appeared in New government report points to continuing mental health crisis in prisons and jails.

1 in 4 people incarcerated in jails reported experiences that met the threshold for serious psychological distress. This makes people in jail six times more likely to experience serious psychological distress than people with no criminal justice involvement in the past year.